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Coronavirus: What are the rules for face masks or face coverings? Coronavirus: What are the rules for face masks or face coverings?
(8 days later)
Prime Minister Boris Johnson says face coverings will become compulsory in England for bar staff, shop workers, waiters and taxi drivers to help control the spread of coronavirus. People around the UK must now wear face coverings in many public places.
People around the UK already have to wear them in shops and on public transport. But what protection do they offer, and what sort of coverings can be worn?
Rules are also in place in some schools and places like galleries and museums. Why should we wear a face covering?
What are the face covering rules in shops? Face coverings reduce the spread of coronavirus droplets from coughs, sneezes and speaking.
Face coverings must be worn by customers in shops, supermarkets and shopping centres around the UK. They should mainly be worn to protect other people from coronavirus, rather than yourself.
Those who fail to do so can be fined by the police - up to £100 in England (soon to rise to £200), or £60 in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. When worn correctly, they should cover the nose and mouth, which are the main confirmed sources of transmission.
Shop workers will now also have to wear a face covering. They can help to reduce the spread of the virus from people who are contagious, including those who have no symptoms, or are yet to develop them.
What about on public transport? There is also evidence they can offer some protection to the wearer, although they are not a replacement for social distancing and hand-washing.
Face coverings are compulsory for anyone travelling by public transport in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (unless they have an exemption or a reasonable excuse). Where must they be worn in the UK?
Passengers boarding aircraft in England, Scotland and Wales must wear a face covering - Northern Ireland also recommends their use. Face coverings are now compulsory across the UK when:
People can be refused travel if they do not follow the rules, and can be fined as a last resort. People can be refused travel for not following the rules or fined as a last resort. In England, the police can issue a £200 fine to someone breaking the face covering rules. In Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, a £60 fine can be imposed. Repeat offenders face bigger fines.
What are the face covering rules in schools? In England and Scotland, face coverings are also compulsory in a number of indoor spaces, including:
The government is not recommending face coverings being necessary in education settings because of the controls that are in place. Face coverings do not have to be worn in some settings where it would be ''impractical'' - for instance when dining in restaurants or exercising in a gym.
However, in Scotland and Northern Ireland, secondary school pupils must wear face coverings between lessons. In Wales, face coverings must be worn in all indoor public places by customers and staff.
The Scottish government says all pupils over the age of 12 should wear face coverings in corridors and communal areas, but not in classrooms. Everyone aged over five must wear them on school buses. In Northern Ireland, they must be worn in "any other indoor place where goods or services are available to buy or rent".
The advice is similar in Northern Ireland, where the education minister said guidance on face coverings would be updated to include wearing them in the corridors of post-primary schools. Does everyone have to wear one?
In England, secondary schools will have the ''discretion'' to require face coverings in communal areas, where social distancing is not possible.
However, they will be mandatory for schools in parts of England that are under a local lockdown, or facing extra government restrictions, but not in classrooms.
In Wales, face coverings are recommended in high schools when social distancing is "unlikely to be maintained", but are not compulsory. Schools and councils will decide if they are used.
How about other indoor spaces?
In England and Scotland, face coverings are also compulsory in a number of indoor spaces. These include:
Face coverings do not have to be worn where it would be ''impractical'' - for instance when dining in restaurants or exercising in a gym.
In Wales, face coverings in shops and indoor public places are now required.
In Northern Ireland, apart from shops, the rule includes "any other indoor place where goods or services are available to buy or rent... for example, a bookmaker's, a food takeaway business or a dry cleaner".
Who doesn't have to wear a face covering?
Some people do not have to wear a face covering. They include:Some people do not have to wear a face covering. They include:
You can take off your mask if: You can remove your mask if:
Young children should not wear face masks because of the risk of choking and suffocation.Young children should not wear face masks because of the risk of choking and suffocation.
Where am I supposed to get a face covering? What are the face-covering rules in schools?
The government has been careful to use the term "face covering" rather than "face mask" - with surgical masks kept for medical use. The government does not recommend wearing face coverings in educational settings because of the controls that are already in place.
The BBC has created a guide on how to make your own face covering. The government has issued its own advice too. However, each nation is adopting different rules:
However, they will be mandatory for schools in parts of England that are under local restrictions, but not in classrooms.
Can I make one myself?
The BBC has created a guide on how to make your own face covering.
The government has issued its own advice too.
Do face coverings work?Do face coverings work?
Face coverings do not give the wearer as much protection as the masks that healthcare workers wear.
World Health Organization (WHO) advice says non-medical face coverings should be worn in public where social distancing is not possible.World Health Organization (WHO) advice says non-medical face coverings should be worn in public where social distancing is not possible.
Coronavirus is spread when droplets are sprayed into the air when infected people talk, cough or sneeze. Those droplets can then fall on surfaces. They help us protect each other and reduce the spread from people who are contagious but have no symptoms, or are yet to develop symptoms.
The WHO says there is also emerging evidence of airborne transmission of the virus, with tiny particles hanging in aerosol form in the air.
Homemade cloth face coverings can help reduce the spread from people who are contagious but have no symptoms, or are yet to develop symptoms.
Scientists in Singapore suggest the contagion risk is especially high in the 24-48 hours before an infected person is even aware they might have the disease.
Taking a face covering on and off can also risk contamination, the WHO says.
What do I need to know about the coronavirus?What do I need to know about the coronavirus?